Poch: It's Time to Back Me Levy!

I think the bravery that Pochettino refers to is a fire sale of players to acquire fresh ones.

My hunch tells me that the recent 'talking-up' of Sissoko is to prepare him for sale, along with everyone else that wants to go, or who isn't quite key or young, but could fetch a pretty penny.

Rose for Sessegnon
Alderweireld fo De Ligt
Dembele for Neves or Jorginho
Sissoko for Diawara
N'koudou for Klivert

Add a slice of Bale (yeah, unlikely, I know) on top of that lot and get rid of a few more fringe players. Bring in some of our youngsters, and we're good to go.

With the exception of Alderweireld, who's injury I think has been the difference that prevented us from winning silverware, I think we could manage if we had replacements for most of those listed.

I trust that Pochettino could make a team of a new bunch better than most in the league. Better we get our hands on some of these young stars than allowing Pep to have all of the fun. He can't buy all of the good players.

I also think that it's a case of Poch achieving this season what he was only expected to achieve next. I reckon he now wants to skip a year in the plan and do this upcoming season, what they might have only been planning to do in the next one, challenging for cups and titles earlier.

Someone has to challenge Man City next season, it may as well be us.

In Poch and Levy I trust.

 

It’s make or break for Spurs this summer.

More of the same and we will eventually fail to overachieve in the league and finish 6th instead of 2nd or 3rd.

The problem is we have done well in the league in the last four seasons with the current model so I don’t see Levy changing anytime soon.

If PSG or Madrid come calling then Poch may well be off as he will have unlimited funds there.

 

If Poch can offload the following players for a tidy sum (who have clearly proved are not long term prospects), he may be able to go with his crazy ideas and take the clubs plan into phase 2:

1) Erik "One Footed" Lamela
2) Danny "DOF" Rose
3) Moussa "What Is He Good At?" Sissoko
4) Serge "The Liability" Aurier
5) Fernando "Where's the Goal?" Llorente
6) Georges Kevin "Forever On Loan" N'Koudou

Over to you Levy!

 

You're very hopeful DH...it's the hope that kills you, brother.

I'd love it if you are right.

 

Lamela is borderline for me. I just think he's in bad post-injury form. As is Wanyama, and Rose to a degree. Can't argue with the rest really, even though Aurier just arrived and I wouldn't be mad if he had another season to fix up.

Truth is though, I'd let most of them go under Poch's guidance, only if it means investing in some real improvements.

 

So, you're keeping Vinnie?

 

Them are good replacements and I think this is the kind of savvy we will have to be because we can't go into a straight bidding war for those a notch above what you listed...we just won't play with them numbers. However I would still love a marquee signing to lead us in our new home.

 

Could be wrong but I just think this is our biggest summer in decades and I think the club will take advantage of it.

 

Yep, I agree. this is why I am half holding on to my Bale hunch. Levy will know that there can't be many players, who we have the slightest chance of attracting, that will generate more shirt, and season ticket, sales than Bale. Now would be the only time to do it. Major statement of intent too. I imagine Rose would want to stay if it happened, especially as I don't see Man U coming in for him.

 

I would definitely keep Lamela. He has the ability to inject urgency into the team that is sometimes lacking. He works very hard, and if he had been fit earlier in the season Aurier may not have been such a liability

 

It's been suggested that Joe Lewis is back in Blighty and will be involved in discussions with MP and DL about the club's future. That's a pretty bloody rare occurrence, to my knowledge and would suggest that this is a very significant moment in time for us. Joe doesn't turn up 'on the off chance' or because he's bored. There must be a great deal to address but MP can't get lost in the discussions about the stadium, sponsorships, NFL, the hotel, etc, etc.

Hopefully, it's to to set out and plan the long-term aims and help to sort the shorter term issues. There needs to be a balance of those 2 competing concerns. Running the club is abut the future but football is all about today and maybe, just maybe, tomorrow. If he could also just agree a stonking great sponsorship deal for the stadium and a financial restructuring/partnership with an American NFL owner and give news regarding the wiping off of the debt for building the stadium......

 

This summer's sales essentially break down into two categories

Obvious Deadwood
Janssen
Llorente
GKN
Various members of the Development squad (Glover, Ogilvie, Harrison, Amos, Loft)

Reinvestment Fodder
Alderweireld
Rose
Dembele

In terms of the former the only player we're likely to get return on our initial investment is Janssen, as we already made €5m this season from loaning him to Fenerbahce so we'd break even if we sold him for £13m (probably less, as there's likely various clauses in the deal that saw him arrive) - and while it's feasible that we received a decent loan fee for GKN in January, I severely doubt that would have recouped much of the £11m we paid for him.

In terms of the reinvestment fodder, the figures are the issue

Dembele is supposedly available for between £20m and £25m
Diawara is supposedly available for around £25m
Seri has a £35m release clause
Milinkovic-Savic will probably be north of £40m

Rose is being touted for around £37m
Tierney would cost somewhere between £20m to £25m
Sessegnon would cost £All The Money

Alderweireld is supposedly being offered for around £45m
Benkovic valued at £20m
Diop runs the risk of being at the centre of a transfer auction
Pavard and Tah will probably cost at least £30m, probably closer to £40m
De Ligt would cost us £50m+ and run the risk of having to deal with Mino "****" Raiola

This is where bravery's needed, especially as there's a World Cup in just over a month, so we need to act quickly and decisively this summer - rather than the usual summer where a transfer drags on for weeks like Lloris/Alderweireld/GKN/Foyth all did or our dithering/haggling costs us potential signings like it did with Ricardo Pereira last summer.

 

I agree. This level of excitement only happens once. Any businessman as shrewd as Levy surely knows there's a capitalization that can only happen now. It won't be exactly the same next season.

 

to Pochettino for fronting up.

And unlike Arry, he has delivered on-pitch (IMHO
beyond Levys' expectations) to back the talk.

 

Good thread Spudulike

 

The Grauniad's doing its bit for their neoliberal ****wit credentials by saying how terrible that Poch's net spend is "only" £40.25m over the four seasons he's been with us.

Remind me to avoid their economics section...

 

Net spend of £40million in 4 years and finished 5th, 3rd, 2nd and 3rd is some feat.

It isn’t sustainable though.

 

A net spend of £400m over four years also isn't sustainable, with obvious exceptions anyway...

 

Most of the exceptions are our rivals though.

That is the problem.

 

The stress of watching us nearly die in 1991 means it is not worth any risk imo